Simply Irresistible

“You’ve seen me without those, too.”

“You’d argue with a woman on the very edge?”

He nearly laughed again but recovered quickly, especially since she was still giving him that eat-shit-and-die look. But at least she was looking. And the rosiness of her cheeks was no longer about hurt or embarrassment. Mission half accomplished.

Holding her gaze in his, he tore open the buttons on his Levi’s, held his breath to brace for the cold, then shoved them down to his thighs.

Her eyes locked in on his forest green knit boxers. Slowly, she set down her Blackberry and then, just as slowly, rose to her feet. “I’m trying to hate you.”

“But you can’t.”

“I could. With some more time.”

“Then I’ll change your mind,” he said.

“But I’m stubborn, remember?”

“Yes, but I’m very persuasive.”

She nibbled on her lower lip and stared at him, definitely not hating him if her hardened nipples were any indication.

“You’re…” She gestured to his erection. “Um.”

“Yeah.” He was just as shocked as she. It was fucking freezing in here.

“I thought it was supposed to shrink in the cold,” she said eyes on “it.”

He opened his mouth, then shut it again. She was the only person on earth who could render him speechless. While he stood there, shirt off, pants at his thighs, she stood up and tore off her own sweatshirt.

She wore a pale blue satin bra that barely contained her full breasts. As he soaked in that mouthwatering sight, she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and shoved them down. “Crap,” she said and glanced up at him. “Okay, keep in mind I didn’t plan on a striptease today. I’ve got to learn to plan ahead.”

If she was talking about the fact that her underwear was a purple lace thong instead of a match to her bra, he could care less. Combined they were going to give him a brain aneurysm.

She tried to kick her pants off, but they got caught on her boot. “And some practice wouldn’t hurt, either.”

He laughed, and she grumbled, turning away from him to bend over to untie her bootlaces.

And abruptly his amusement was gone, replaced by a wave of sheer, unadulterated lust. It was her cute little thong’s fault, the one bisecting her sweet heart-shaped ass and shooting the temperature in the room straight into the stratosphere. “Maddie-” His voice was gruff and hoarse. Probably from blood loss.

She was still fighting with her shoelaces. “Yeah?”

Before he could answer, her cell rang from the floor about five feet in front of her. Shifting gears, she crawled forward.

Yeah. He was going to have an aneurysm. He could feel it coming on.

“Can’t,” she said into her cell, still on her hand and knees. “I…” She shot him a look over his shoulder, her gaze again dipping down to the front of his tented boxers. “Gotta go.” She disconnected with a tap of her thumb. Still staring at him, she paused. “We’re in this freezing attic showing our… parts to each other.”

“Yes.”

“We need to grow up.”

“Maybe. But not today.”

She drew a breath, still staring at his erection. “Yesterday you said you wouldn’t be my escape.”

“That was a stupid statement by a very stupid man who wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“And you’re thinking clearly now?”

“Yes. This isn’t just sex between us. So if you want escape, and you want to use my body to do it, then I’m your willing victim.”

“Magnanimous of you.”

Done playing, he crooked his finger at her in the universal “come here” gesture.

She rose to her feet, took a step, and hit the floor with a heavy thud.

“Jesus.” He surged toward her and dropped to his knees, pulling her up to face him. “You okay?”

She grimaced. “Tell me you have a clumsy dork fetish.”

“Oh, I have a fetish.” Her nipples appeared to be a fraction of an inch from breaking free of her bra. He slid his hands up her ribs, his thumbs rubbing over them. “For you. For everything about you.”

She sucked in a breath.

“We have some more clothes to lose.” He bent to work on untying her shoes, and then his. They kicked them off and then finally lost their pants.

“Maybe we should lose the underwear, too,” she whispered and ran a finger over the front of his boxers, right down the length of him, making him groan and reach for her, just as the doorbell rang downstairs.

“I’m going to shoot somebody,” Maddie said.

“Sawyer hates when people do that. It’s a whole bunch of paperwork.”

The doorbell rang again, and Maddie crawled to the window.

Jax stared at her ass and crawled forward, too, planning on tearing those cute little panties off with his teeth. Then he’d grip her hips and bury himself deep in one thrust. Yeah, and then-

“It’s Lucille,” she hissed. “I can’t shoot Lucille.”

“She’ll go away.” Bending, he put his mouth to her hip, then let his tongue snake beneath the string.

“But she’s-” she whispered, slapping a hand to the window when he nipped at her with his teeth. “Oh, God.”

“Give me a minute and you’ll be saying ‘Oh, Jax.’ ” He slid a hand up the inside of her leg, not stopping until he hit lace. “Spread your legs, Maddie,” he said, kissing the back of her thigh.

She did just that, and then her other hand hit the glass, and then suddenly she stiffened, but not in a good way. “She sees me,” she hissed. “She thinks I’m waving to her.” She dropped to her knees and stared at him. “She knows you’re here. Your Jeep’s here. And I’m in the window without a shirt.”

“She’s a hundred and ten. There’s no way she could see you clearly.” He kissed her neck. “She’ll go away.”

“No, she won’t.” She batted at his hands as he went for the hook on her bra. “The last time you and I were seen together, our kiss on the pier was the talk of the town. This can’t be the talk of the town. This,” she said, giving him a poke with her elbow, “is just for you and me.”

He blew out a breath and sat back on his heels as she pulled her jeans back on, covering up that sweet ass, jumping up and down a little to work them over her hips. Her breasts jiggled, and he watched as first one and then the other nipple struggled and then managed breakaway status. Damn.

She grabbed her sweatshirt and yanked it on, inside out, covering the best view he’d had all week. “Crap.” Yanking the shirt back off, she fumbled to right it, then noticed he was just standing there. “Get dressed!”

“Can you be this bossy when we get to a bed? Cuz it’s turning me on.”

She threw his shirt at him. “Hurry up! You’re coming with me!”

“Yeah, now, see, I’d kind of hoped you’d be the one coming by now.”

She groaned. “Stop teasing me!”

Lucille talked for eight minutes. Maddie lost track of what the conversation was about, struggling to nod and act as if she was following along-for eight long minutes. And for each and every single one of them, she was overwhelmingly aware of the big, tall, silent man standing behind the door, just out of view from Lucille, radiating heat and a sexual frustration that undoubtedly matched hers.

The old Maddie had gone with the flow. Had allowed others’ needs to come before her own. “Lucille,” she said suddenly. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, but I have to go.”

Lucille looked puzzled, but she nodded. “Okay, dear. Just come by when you get a chance, and we can finish talking about the project.”

“Sure thing. I will, I promise. The, uh, project sounds really worthwhile. A great project, as far as projects go.”

She shut the door and closed her eyes. She felt Jax come up behind her, exuding testosterone and pheromones, the only project she was interested in.